KABUL: Taliban higher education official has said that Afghan universities are ready to readmit female students; however, the final decision would be made by the ruling Taliban’s leader in this regard, reported Western media on Saturday.
The Taliban, after returning to power in 2021, had stopped women from entering university campuses, a decision which was criticized globally. Girls had been barred from schools after sixth grade, making Afghanistan the only country in the world that bans female education.
An adviser at the Higher Education Ministry, Molvi Abdul Jabbar, expressing his views said universities are ready to readmit female students as soon as Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada gives an order to lift the ban.
He said Akhundzada directed the closure of universities and when he lifts the ban on women’s education the universities will be opened the same day.
Afghan Universities Ready to Enroll Women, if Taliban Leader Allows: Official
Afghanistan’s higher education minister, Nida Mohammed Nadim, defending the ban on female university education said it was necessary to prevent the mixing of girls and boys because it is against the principles of Islam.
He said the ban, issued by the Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, was still in place.
Minister Nadim said the ban is a temporary measure and solutions are being found to address gender segregation, course material and dress codes. He said universities would reopen for women once these matters are resolved.
